Google to expand New York City presence: What we know

Republican National Lawyers Association's Harmeet Dhillon on the Google employee walkout over the company's handling of sexual harassment allegations.

Two of the tech world’s biggest names, Google and Amazon, may be looking to expand their New York City footprints.

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Google is set to acquire or expand real estate holdings in New York City, adding enough space for roughly 12,000 new employees, The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter. Combined with the company’s existing leases, Google could have as many as 20,000 employees in the area in the coming years.

Google could not immediately be reached for comment on the report.

News of the Alphabet-owned company’s planned expansion comes just days after Amazon reportedly tabbed Crystal City in Northern Virginia and New York’s Long Island City as potential sites of its second headquarters. If confirmed, the cities would give Amazon an East Coast presence to match its original headquarters in Seattle, Washington.

Amazon has yet to publicly say where HQ2 will be located or if it will be split between multiple cities.

Here’s what we know so far about Google’s plans for the New York.

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The Journal reported that Google is close to buying or leasing an office building at St. John’s Terminal in New York City’s West Village. The building is said to have enough space for roughly 8,500 new employees and is currently under construction, but should be ready by 2022.

Chelsea Market

Google acquired Chelsea Market, an office complex, food hall and tourist attraction, for $2.4 billion last February, the New York Times reported. Under the deal’s terms, Google has the right to expand the structure by adding roughly eight stories to the existing building, or 300,000 square feet.

Pier 57

Google signed a 15-year lease to occupy 250,000 square feet in the waterfront structure on Manhattan’s west side. A company representative told the Wall Street Journal that Google plans to revamp the space, adding water taxi access and a winter garden, among other features.

Google vs. Amazon

Amazon has vowed that “HQ2” will house up to 50,000 employees and bring $5 billion in investments into the surrounding communities. If rumored plans hold, roughly 25,000 Amazon employees could eventually be located in the New York City area – slightly more than Google’s expected capacity.